Wrenn, Knights hope to get on a roll

Prospect bowler Hannah Wrenn is hoping this is the year the Knights can advance to the state tournament.

Based on the senior's stellar performance this season, and that of her teammates, she just might get her wish.

The top two teams at this weekend's sectional tournaments will advance, as usual, to the state tournament held at Cherry Bowl Lanes in Rockford on Feb. 13-14.

And it's not as if Wrenn and the Knights haven't been close before.

In 2008 Prospect fell just short with a third-place finish, 67 pins behind sectional host Hoffman Estates. The sectional was won by Schaumburg.

"That was not a good day," said Wrenn. "It was heartbreaking - just a kick in the gut."

The Knights have been working hard all season and pointing to the sectionals and a possible ticket to state.

And Wrenn, along with fellow seniors Alyce Johnson, Colleen Rogers, Emily Gruendel and Briana Bach, feel their moment has arrived.

Wrenn, Rogers and Johnson have all been ranked in the top 20 of the Mid-Suburban League for most of the season and Gruendel and Bach have also made big contributions.

"All of the girls are peaking at the right time," said Wrenn, whose team was victorious at the prestigious Lockport tournament this season.

"This is the best time of year for all of us to be bowling so well. Every year has it's highs and lows, but I feel that this has been our most successful year since I've been on varsity.

"Last year, when we finished third overall (at sectionals), I felt that we should have done better. We definitely did not live up to our potential."

Wrenn, who came in third in the Mid-Suburban League in individual average this season (206.79), has already made a trip to the state tournament.

The four-year varsity standout went as an individual as a sophomore in 2007, earning an at-large bid, but was disappointed her teammates couldn't make the journey with her.

"It was nerve-wracking," said Wrenn, "especially being a sophomore. I wasn't as mature as I am now, and I was put on a lane with 9 other girls, none of whom I knew."

Wrenn was excellent in the tournament, placing 18th with a 201.4 average and a 246 high game.

That performance and her overall outstanding career should come as no surprise. Wrenn has been bowling since the age of 5, encouraged by her dad Bill.

"Honestly, for quite a while I've been bowling year round," said Wrenn. "I think my dad saw that I had a talent for it and he made sure I stayed with it.

"At first it was just for fun, then later I began to get more serious. By the time I got to high school, I never thought that this would be something I would not be a part of. I've had success, but it wasn't something that I expected or something that just came - it's something I've worked hard for."

Prospect coach Greg Troyer heartily agrees.

"She understands her own technique," said Troyer. "Most kids her age don't have the kinetic awareness that she does.

"She's been doing this for a long time, and she knows her game and knows her stroke better than most high school bowlers. She's not only a fine bowler but a great athelete."

Wrenn and the Knights have experienced a tremendous MSL season in 2009, finishing third, and the senior led the league in average for most of the year until the final weekend.

But Wrenn didn't bowl up to her own expectations in the MSL tournament and was overtaken by a blazing performance from Conant's Brittney Mari, who won the overall title.

Mari just edged out Schaumbug's Marilyn Gawlik, last year's state champion, with Wrenn just behind in third.

"Brittney got hot," said Troyer, "and I think Hannah might have put a lot of pressure on herself. She and Marilyn were top dogs all season, and they both wanted that individual crown.

"Hannah was not her normal self at the MSL tourney. Just the day before in practice, she bowled a 287 game. She was stroking the ball and the pins were flying. She's just got to work on relaxing a little and let her own innate ability guide her."

But Wrenn didn't focus on the disappointment - instead, true to her team-first personality, she was thrilled with her rival's win.

"Brittney's a sweetheart," said Wrenn, "and a great bowler. She deserved it - I'm glad she took home the gold."

Now the 2009 playoffs loom, and the five Knights senior teammates realize that it's now or never.

So what is they key?

"It's all about spares," said Wrenn. "Strikes are good, but we all realize that spares are what matter most when it comes to pin count."

And Wrenn and her teammates are hoping that the spares and strikes at Saturday's sectional at AMF Hoffman Lanes will add up to a weekend in Rockford.

"This is our opportunity," said Wrenn. "This (a possibility of a trip to state) is the memory we want to go out with."